Effectiveness of angiotensin receptor inhibitors and non-lysine in functional mitral regurgitation

Objective : sacubitrile/valsartan is superior to valsartan in modifying functional mitral regurgitation (MR) for the better thanks to the double inhibition of the renin-angiotensin and neprilysin system. Material and methods . This double-blind study randomly assigned sacubitrile/valsartan or valsartan in addition to standard drug therapy for heart failure among 90 patients with heart failure with chronic functional MR (secondary to left ventricular (LV) dysfunction). The primary endpoint was a change in the effective area of the regurgitation hole during the 12-month follow-up. Secondary endpoints included changes in the volume of regurgitation, the final systolic volume of the left ventricle, the final diastolic volume of the left ventricle, and the area of incomplete closure of the mitral valves. Results . The decrease in the effective area of the regurgitation hole was significantly more pronounced in the sacubitrile/valsartan group than in the valsartan group (–0.048 ± 0.095 vs –0.012 ± 0.105 cm2; p = 0.032) in the treatment efficacy analysis, which included 90 patients (100%). The regurgitation volume also significantly decreased in the sacubitrile/valsartan group compared to the valsartan group (mean difference –7.3 ml; 95% CI 12.6–1.9; p = 0.009). There were no significant differences between the groups regarding changes in the area of incomplete closure of the mitral valves and LV volumes, with the exception of the index of the final LV diastolic volume (р = 0.044). There were no significant differences in the change in blood pressure between the two treatment groups. Conclusion. Among patients with secondary functional MR, sakubitril/valsartan reduced MR more than valsartan. Thus, angiotensin receptor inhibitors and neprilysin can be considered for optimal drug treatment of patients with heart failure and functional MR.